Yes, I admit it...

I suck as a web designer. Since picking up Dreamweaver a few years ago, my knowledge of HTML has become, let's say, rusty. One good thing about DW is that I've probably learned as much about coding syntax and structure as when I first taught myself HTML, simply due to the regular troubleshooting aspect of the software. The bad thing is, back then, I didn't teach myself much...

As a print designer for most of my career, this was never a problem, as the only website I ever really had to maintain was terrygriffin.com. (About once every six months, using DW—simple enough.) But now that I'm officially a web designer by trade—yea, I traded in my art director's hat for something new—I suppose I should do justice to this new craft, and learn to become the most kick-ass web designer I can be. (Yeah, that's it...)

So this weekend, I've sat down with a few books, and my browser pointed at www.w3schools.com, to do a bit of of re-learning and catching up. And boy, am I behind! My main goal was originally to become CSS-proficient. But I'm discovering that's gonna be hard to do without first a very solid knowledge of XHTML. Also, I see that the other big deal, these days, is being 'standards-compliant.'

Currently, my day job doesn't depend on knowing how to code at all—which is quite ironic, but good for me, I suppose. (The primary software I use is Photoshop, to create web layouts—our interactive agency does the coding.) But of course TheInHouser.com will be a world-class, modern-day, 'standards compliant' website.

So this is a challenge for me, on several levels. To become a dedicated practitioner of web design; to improve the technical quality of my own websites; and to keep my design skills as up-to-date and marketable as possible. (For in-housers, that last part should always be a primary motivation!)